After weeks of being in the spotlight due to a gender controversy, Imane Khelif won her first Olympic gold medal by beating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg boxing final in August. The 25-year-old Algerian celebrated this huge achievement at Roland Garros, with strong support from the Algerian community.
Khelif’s victory made her the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic boxing gold and the first Algerian boxer to achieve this since 1996.
But now, Khelif has announced a big career change.
Talking about the controversy around her participation in the 2024 Olympics, Khelif said, per The Guardian: “As for whether I qualify or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media. I am fully qualified to take part in this competition.
“I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, and I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that. [The detractors] are enemies of success, that is what I call them. And that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
Both Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who fought in the 57kg final, faced questions about their gender eligibility after being banned from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing a gender test.
Before the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had removed the IBA as the official governing body of boxing over concerns about corruption and transparency.
Khelif received huge support for her victory, with 15,000 people at Roland Garros cheering her name after the earlier fights ended.
“My honor is intact now,” Khelif said, responding to the harsh criticism she got online. “The attacks I saw on social media were terrible, they mean nothing, and they hurt people’s dignity. But I believe people’s views have changed now.”
She also expressed frustration with the IBA, which she had worked with since 2018, saying: “They hate me, and I don’t know why. My message to them is simple: with this gold medal, my dignity and honor are above everything.”
In a tough match between two evenly skilled opponents, Khelif gained confidence after winning the first round unanimously.
Even though Yang fought hard, Khelif stayed in control, countering Yang’s attacks. When the final bell rang, the two fighters hugged, and Khelif celebrated by climbing onto her coach’s shoulders to salute the cheering crowd.
The celebration continued with the medal ceremony, where Khelif and the other medalists returned to the ring. The Algerian national anthem played, and her supporters filled the stadium with cheers.
After winning Olympic gold in Paris, Khelif is now getting ready to go pro.
Khelif had faced questions earlier in the summer after her opponent Angela Carini quit just 46 seconds into their match after receiving one punch.
Despite these obstacles, Khelif remained strong, took home the gold, and announced her plans to move into professional boxing.
At a press conference on October 20, Khelif also revealed that a documentary about her life and career is being made.
“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing,” Khelif said, according to The Independent.
“I have many offers. Right now, I haven’t decided where I will go for professional boxing, but I will make that move very soon. As Algerians, we want to show our skills in the professional world.”
